E. Louis Towne of Kennewick passed away on February 6, 2013 at Kadlec Hospital in Richland. Louis was born on February 22, 1920 at St. Joseph's Hospital in Vancouver, WA. His parents were "Elbert" Louis Towne Sr. and Georgia (Mitchell) Towne of Corvallis, OR. Louis was the first child and he soon had two sisters and two brothers. While he was very small his father was the herdsman at Hot Springs Sanitarium in Union, Oregon and later they moved to Carrolls in Washington near his father's family. He began first grade in 1925, at the age of five, in Carrolls, WA in a two room school and went to High School in Longview, WA. He graduated from R.A. Long High in 1936 at age 16. The same year he began Lower Columbia Junior College which was in the basement of the Longview Public Library. His major at that time was Chemistry. In September, 1937 he transferred to the State College of Washington (now WSU) in Pullman where he then majored in Chemical Engineering. The following year he stayed out of college and worked at Highland Dairy in Longview, WA where his father was a partner. When he returned to college, he changed his major to Agricultural Education and met his future wife, Irene Caroline Lueloff at a roller skating rink. After another year at college, he went to work in a paper mill in Longview where he earned enough to buy a new car. In August he drove the car to visit his fiancée, Irene in Richland. They ended up driving another couple to Idaho to elope. During the trip, they decided to get married since there was a war going on in Europe and life was chancy. They were married in Coeur d'Alene on August 30, 1941 and moved to Longview, WA where Louis began work as an electrical apprentice in a new aluminum plant. Shortly after the plant was built, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor and World War II began in earnest. In the fall of 1942, Louis and Irene moved to Seattle where he went to work in a shipyard as a journeyman electrician and began classes in Electrical Engineering at the University of Washington. In 1944 Louis went into the U.S. Navy and was an instructor at Treasure Island. After his enlistment was finished, the family moved to Pullman, WA and Louis graduated with a degree in Engineering in 1947. In June, 1948 they moved to Kennewick where Louis was Distribution Engineer for Benton County PUD. The PUD then moved the family to Prosser. In 1951 the family moved to Ritzville where Louis was Power Use Advisor at Big Bend Electric. In July 1954, Louis opened Irrigation Equipment Supply Co. in Pasco, WA and in 1956 after closing the business, the Towne family moved to Vernonia, OR where he was employed by West Oregon Electric. While there he was instrumental in beginning the Vernonia Jamboree which is still a large community event today and also acted as liaison in the filming of the movie "Ring of Fire." In 1963, Louis moved to North Bend, Washington where he managed Tanner Electric until his retirement in 1982. He helped the organization grow and was extremely active in community and church affairs in North Bend. Louis was a member of the Northwest Public Power Council for over 15 years and was awarded the key to the city of North Bend on his retirement. Irene and Louis returned to the Tri-Cities in retirement in 1987.They were active in many organizations, including the East Benton County Historical Society, CRHEST (where he was a docent until his 90's), the Kennewick Valley Grange, and West Highlands United Methodist Church and also were members of the Tri-City Genealogical Society. He was a state and local officer in the Grange over many years and was active in Tri-Cities Chaplaincy Hospice House after Irene's death. In retirement both Irene and Louis were extremely active in Genealogical research and wrote numerous books about their families including "Towne Trek", "The Ancestors of E. Louis Towne", "Milton Towne Photographer". Louis also wrote the history of Benton PUD as a special project for them. They also traveled all 50 states and around the world to do research and have adventures. He was a serious photographer and did many slide presentations for different groups. Louis will be remembered for his deep love of gardening, driving and travel and interest in history and geology especially the Missoula Floods. During the last year of his life, Louis lived at Royal Columbian Retirement Center and his favorite activity was to take bus rides and tell the history of the area to the other residents. Louis was preceded in death by his mother and father, Elbert and Georgia Towne, a sister Dorothy Ann McCardle, two brothers, Richard Norman Towne and Carl Theodore Towne and many other loved ones. Louis is survived by his five children, daughter Judith Towne Gollihar and her husband Jerry Wayne Gollihar of Kennewick, WA, daughter Virginia Towne of Olympia, WA, daughter Teresa "Terri" Towne White and her husband Roy Robert White of Newberg, OR, son Richard Louis Towne of Kennewick, WA, and son Steven Leonard Towne and his wife Susan Staton Towne of Portland, OR. Louis is also survived by his sister Jessie Louise Towne Fletcher of Kennewick, WA, a sister in law Arlene (Ted) Towne of Olympia,WA, eight grandchildren, Elizabeth Serena Richart and her husband, Donovan Richart of Montesano, WA, Eric Wayne Gollihar and his wife Ami Palmer Gollihar of Dallas, TX, Tobin Louis Gollihar of Portland, OR, Karl Alan Easttorp and his wife Kristie Fowler Easttorp of Wisconsin Rapids, WI, Steven Ryan Gollihar of Kennewick, WA, Christian Emil (Easttorp) Saltmarsh and his wife Kimberly Saltmarsh, Craig Anson Towne and his wife Erin Meyer Towne of Salem, OR and Stephanie Towne Montgomery and her husband, Bryan Montgomery of Sandy, OR. He also is survived by 15 great grandchildren, many nieces and nephews, cousins and loving friends. Please join his family on Monday February 11, 2013 at 11:00 a.m. to celebrate a good long life well lived at his memorial service at West Highland United Methodist Church. Inurnment with Military honors will be at Desert Lawn Memorial Park at 1:30 p.m. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the charity of your choice in his memory. Arrangements are under the direction of Mueller's Tri-Cities Funeral Home.